Display stand



July19, 1960 R. ,J. SLAVSKY ETAL 2,945,660

DISPLAY sum) Filed Aug. 12, 1957 i ll INVENTOR. N ROBERT J. SLAVSKY JOHN R. .SLAVSKY 4 I. 3 BY v GM :3 m

ATTORNEYS United States Patent DISPLAY STAND Robert J. Slavsky and John R. Slavsky, Detroit, Mich., assignors to Shaw & Slavsky, Iuc., Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Aug. 12, 1957, Ser. No. 677,724

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-161) This invention relates to display stands and more partieularly to a vertically adjustable in height display stand suitable for use in marking merchandise and prices in markets and the like.

This present application is a continuation in part of our prior application, Ser. No. 286,696, filed May 8, 1952, now abandoned.

The object of this invention is to provide a suitable display stand for marking prices and merchandise names and useful for placement next to piles of merchandise in a super market. Particularly, the display stand hereof is easily adjustable in height without any mechanical adjust-ment being required, but rather simply by a pushdown or a pull-up so that the height of the sign bearing portion of the display stand is always at a suitable height above the pile of merchandise.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an adjustable in height display stand wherein the adjustment is made simply by pulling or pushing the stand and wherein the means for holding the stand in adjusted height are tamper proof and can be set for proper tension in the factory and reset on the premises of the user for tension when necessary, only by the use of a pair of pliers and a screwdriver, whereby children and the like cannot tamper with the means for adjusting and holding the display stand in adjustment.

Yet a further object of this invention is to form a display stand out of inexpensive strip metal material such as strap metal or the like, whereby the manufacturer need stock only one type of material to fabricate most of the parts necessary to form the display stand and can easily assemble these parts with a minimum number of operations and mechanical fastenings.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of which the attached drawings form a part.

With reference to the attached drawings, in which: L

Fig. l is a perspective view of a complete display stand.

Fig. 2 is a perspective, exploded, enlarged view of a portion of the display stand.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the means for holding the stand in adjusted position.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 44 of Fig. 3.

With reference to the drawings, in which a display stand generally designated as is illustrated, Fig. 1 shows the complete display stand prow'ded with a base means, a vertical post means, and a sign holding means. These will be described as below.

The post means is formed of a lower strap member 1 1 and an upper strap member 12 each formed of identical, thin, flat, metallic material such as strap metal or the like. Secured to the lower strap member 11 is a flat metal base '13 attached by means of rivets or the like at 14 to the lower strap member. The upper strap member carries a U-shaped channelled frame 14 into which placards or other sign bearing information 15 may be 2,945,660 Patented July 19, 1960 inserted. The channelled frame 14 may be secured at I :16 by means of rivets or welding or the like to the upper strap 12.

The two straps 11 and 12 are overlapped and are held together by adjustment holding means 20. With reference particularly to Fig. 2, it can be seen that the adjustment holding means 20 is formed of a horizontal crossstrap 21, formed of the same material of which the vertical straps are formed. The cross-strap 21 is secured by means of welding or the like 22 to the upper strap '12 as shown in Fig. 2. Note, that the strap is arranged so that its center portion is secured to the vertical strap 12 and its end portions 23 extend an equal distance horizontally away from the vertical strap 12.

In order to assemble and hold the two vertical straps together, they are overlapped, as shown in Fig. 3, and the ends 23 of the cross-strap 21 are bent forwardly to envelop the lower cross-strap 11. Each of the ends 2 3 partially embrace the lower strap 11 and these ends are free, that is, they are not attached to each other or to the lower strap 11 and they are spaced forwardly of the lower strap 11.

A suitable strap spring 25, of resilient, flat metal, is provided, having a flat intermediate portion 26 and bowed portions 27. The fiat intermediate portion is inserted between the cross-strap end 23 and the lower strap 11. Normally, the spring strap 25 is placed against the lower strap 11 and then the cross-strap ends 23 are bent forwardly to their positions shown in Fig. 3.

With reference to Fig. 4, it can be seen that the spring strap intermediate portion 26 is spaced from the lower strap -11 to form a space 28. Thus, the cross-strap being bendable may be pushed toward or away from the vertical strap 11 to adjust the tension of the spring bowed portions 27. For example, to tighten the spring tension, a pair of pliers would be used to squeeze the cross-strap ends 23 toward the vertical strap 11. Conversely, to loosen the tension, a screwdriver inserted between the ends 23 and the strap 11 will force the ends away from the strap to thus loosen the spring tension. In this manner, spring tension is normally set at the factory where the device is assembled, or in the alternative on the job where the sign or stand is shipped in a knocked down condition. However, once set during assembly, the tension is not adjust-able other than by means of separate tools which are normally not available to anyone walking through a market. Thus, the adjustment holding means 20 is effectively tamper proof which is quite essential in a market where large numbers of children are likely to tamper with devices of this character.

It should be noted, that the upper fastening means 20 shown in Fig. l is identical to the lower fastening means shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 with the exception that the strap 21 there is secured to the lower strap 11 and the ends 23 partially envelop or embraced the upper strap 12. Also, in some cases, it may be desirable to leave out the spring strap from the upper fastening member 20 and simply provide the cross-strap, per se.

The upper and lower straps 11 and 12 being formed of a thin flat metallic material such as strap metal, along with the bendable cross-strip 21 and generally also the spring 25, makes it possible for the fabricator to stock only one material for these four elements. Further, this type of material is naturally and inherently resilient to some degree so that blow or impact upon the upper part of the display stand will cause the vertical straps to bend away from the blow and resiliently return to its vertical position.

This invention may be further developed within the scope of the following attached claim. Accordingly, it is desired that the foregoing description be read as being merely illustrative of an operative embodiment of this invention and not in a limiting sence.

We claim:

An adjustable standard comprising four pieces of thin, flat, strap metal, namely, a vertically extending lower strap having a support base means formed on the bottom thereof; a vertically extending upper strap aligned with and having its lower end overlapping and in face to face contact with the upper end of the lower strap and having a sign supporting means secured on its upper end; a horizontally extending cross-strap having a middle portion and two end portions, with said middle portion being in face to face contact with and secured to the exposed face of one of the two vertical straps adjacent to its overlapped end, and said two end portions being bent around and spaced a short distance from the exposed face of the other strap, wherein said cross-strap is secured to one of the straps and loosely embraces the other strap with the two straps being in face to face contact between the cross-strap; a vertically extending spring strap disposed between the bent over ends of the cross-strap and the exposed face of the loosely embraced strap, with the spring strap having an intermediate flat 4 portion in contact with the two bent over ends and spaced from the exposed face of the embraced strap, and having two bowed end portions, said bowed end portions being in contact with the exposed face of said embraced strap and spring urging the two vertical straps in tight face to face contact; the end portions of the crossastrap being free of positive securement with respect to the embraced strap and the spring strap and being bendable towards and away from the embraced strap for holding the intermediate flat portion of the spring strap closer to or further away from the embraced strap, thereby adjusting the tension of the spring strap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 364,991 Cross June 14, 1887 381,437 Smith Apr. 17, 1888 554,857- Bond et al. Feb. 18, 1896 880,031 Mackenzie et a1. Feb. 25, 1908 2,167,564 Fonda July 25, 1939 2,595,647 Du Mais et al. May 6, 1952 

